Keeping the pool water clean is a task next to impossible. Due to the wind, rain, and other natural aspects, pool water is bound to get dirty with dead leaves, branches, and other light materials like paper, tissues, and all. Then you have the sunlight, which is the prime food for algae to grow in the pool water.
Lastly, a pool is for swimming, and your whole body is under the pool water. You might have put on body lotion, sunscreen and might be profusely sweating under the sun while playing in your above ground pool. What if your toddler just peed right there. All these things are responsible for the water to react and get dirty.
So, pool water needs a thorough cleaning with a proper process. Right beneath, we are going to step by step discuss how to shock an above ground pool. If you have an above ground pool, it will be of great use for you. So, let’s commence.
How to Shock an Above Ground Pool Step by Step
Contents
Step 1: Probe the Water
The first step is to know when exactly you need to shock the pool. Only a few dead leaves, pebbles, and branches here and there in the pool water will not require a shock to clean. You can clean those with a skimmer only. If you are running the pool pump regularly and water circulation is constant, you might not need to shock the pool for a long time.
However, it is good to shock your above ground pool once every fortnight to keep the water free of contaminants and stop algae from growing. Still, if you are too busy or lazy and not using the pool quite often, let us tell you that an above ground pool needs shock only when the water turns green, yellow, or black.
You will know your pool water will turn green because, before that, you will see some ugly looking substance floating all over the pool water. That is when your pool water is called cloudy. So, as we are discussing steps to shock the pool, we assume the water in your above ground pool is full of algae and dirt. Hence needs a shock.
Step 2: Test the Water
Testing the pool water means checking the pH, chlorine, and alkaline level. If the first two levels are at balance, the alkalinity level is not an issue. Yet it is better to stay on the safe side by keeping the water chemistry balanced. Alkaline controls pH and halts the water from turning too acidic. When it is in the range of 80-120 ppm, you know the alkalinity level is balanced.
Pool water must have its pH level between 7.2 to 7.8, and the chlorine level has to be between 2.0 to 4.0 ppm. High pH levels and low chlorine levels both indicate the bad condition of the pool water. Both allow algae to grow and turn the color green and perhaps even worse, to black. So, if the pool water needs a proper balance, add chemicals in it. Best is to balance it after the shock.
Step 3: Strain the Dirt
Use a leaf net with a telescopic pole and clean the large dirt particles from the pool water. Leaves that are floating on the water, pebbles, and branches that are lying in the bottom of the above ground pool. Skim all thoroughly. Now, get a brush to scrub the sides of the pool. To get into the bottom, you will need a brush with a long handle. Scrub the pool surface rigorously. Now, take a skimmer with a finer mesh and start straining all those small dirt particles.
Step 4: Mix Pool Shock in Water
Pool shocks are heavily concentrated and come in a powder form. These have 70% chlorine in them. A pack of pool shock weighs about one pound, and that is enough to shock a pool that contains 10000 gallons of water. So, a small above ground pool might not need a full pack. Follow the instructions written on the packet and be precise with the measurement. Take a bucket full of water. 18-litre should suffice. Dump the chlorine powder or pool shock in it. Use a stick to mix the chlorine in the water. Make sure you are wearing gloves and goggles as chlorine is a potent substance. Keep even a drop of chlorine mixed water away from your clothes; otherwise, it will get bleached.
Step 5: Shock the Above Ground Pool
Time to pour the chlorine water in the dirty pool water. But first, make sure your filtration pump is running. Pour the liquid treatment from every side of the pool. You will notice the difference in the water. The chemistry happens right away. Best is to shock the pool at night so that you can keep it unused overnight. It takes 24 hours for a pool shock to properly cleanse the water and make it apt for swimming again. The whole procedure might end up in a cloudy pool. Just use a pool clarifier to solve that issue. When you poured the treatment in the pool water, your pump was running, and it should continue running for the next 24 hours straight. If possible, a bit more.
Step 6: Rechecking the pH And Chlorine Level
After your pool water returned to its crystal clear self, time to test the pH and chlorine level. For that you will need test strips. Both sodium carbonate and bicarbonate increases the pH level of pool water. And if the pH level needs a decrease just add sodium bisulfate. The chlorine level will be in the typical range as you have already poured pool shock in it where the main ingredient is chlorine. Make sure to run the pump after balancing the pH by mixing the chemicals.
After waiting for a day or two, you can reuse your above ground pool. The wait is essential because the amount of chemicals you are using to refine it is as harmful as the dirty pool water to your body. So, first let the pool water settle a bit, and then continue using it. Do not use a dirty above ground pool when the purifying process is this easy. Shock the pool regularly and keep it healthy for you and your loved ones. Regularly use of above ground pool vacuum to clean you pool.